Martyr Wu Chengbin’s Tomb

Martyr Wu Chengbin’s Tomb

Martyr Wu Chengbin’s Tomb is a cultural heritage site under the protection of Xiuyu District and a classic red tourism destination.

Martyr Wu Chengbin’s Tomb is located in Wucuo Natural Village, Yupu Village, Yuetaang Township, Xiuyu District, Putian City.

Wu Chengbin (1908–1930), also known as Wu Ruying, was born into a relatively well-off farming family in Yuetaang Village, Zhongmen Town, Putian. In 1922, he was admitted to Puxing Middle School and later transferred to Zheli Middle School. During his school years, he began to embrace revolutionary ideas, actively participating in patriotic and anti-imperialist struggles, gradually becoming a key figure in Putian’s early revolutionary movement. In February 1926, he joined the Communist Youth League of China, and in June of the same year, he became a member of the Chinese Communist Party. In late November, after the Northern Expeditionary Army entered Putian, he worked with local officials to mobilize over 100,000 people from all walks of life to welcome the army and celebrate its victory, effectively advancing the local revolutionary movement. In December, the Putian Special District Committee of the CPC was established, and he was elected as a committee member, taking charge of work in the Hushi District. In September 1928, he was sent by the Party organization to return to the Zhongmen area to establish armed struggle bases. Upon returning to his hometown, he began the revolution within his own family, publicly declaring that all debts owed to his family would be forgiven, and he burned IOUs, account books, and documents in front of everyone. Poor peasants spoke highly of him, and enthusiasm for joining the peasant association soared. He subsequently organized secret peasant associations in villages such as Yupu, Dongkeng, Houzhang, and Banwei, mobilizing the masses to oppose profiteering merchants who hoarded grain and inflated prices, and established a peasant guerrilla force in the Zhongmen area. In December of the same year, he was appointed as a committee member of the Putian County Committee of the CPC, responsible for underground work. He sent operatives to infiltrate the Nationalist Self-Defense Corps, conducted subversion efforts, successfully convinced the corps to stage an uprising, and incorporated them into the guerrilla forces, thereby strengthening the armed contingent. At the end of July 1929, he founded the Zhulin Salt District People’s Night School and established the Salt Workers’ Alliance. In November, several scattered guerrilla units operating along the coast were unified and reorganized into the Coastal Guerrilla Unit. He served as deputy commander, later promoted to commander, leading the unit in armed resistance against excessive taxes and levies in areas such as Meizhou Bay, Pinghai Bay, and Xinghua Bay. He also mobilized 30,000 salt workers to protest against salt taxes and to demand higher wages and improved working conditions. In September 1930, he was captured by the enemy, brutally executed, and his head was severed and hung at Nanpuitou in Hushi as a warning. His body was dismembered into four parts, nailed to wooden boards, and thrown into the sea to drift. Eventually, the remains were caught in a fishing net and were buried by the roadside in Yupu Village.

Martyr Wu Chengbin’s Tomb is a mixed earthen and lime structure built in 1930, covering an area of 30 square meters. It is well-preserved. In December 1997, it was designated as a cultural heritage site of Putian County by the Putian County People’s Government.

Source: Party History Research Office of the Putian Municipal Committee